Water distiller

ABSTRACT

The portable water distiller is constructed to distill water placed within a housing and to dispense it directly into a separate storage vessel or to a distilled water space in the housing. In the latter case, the distillers are provided with a flexible impermeable partition which may be in the form of a bag and which divides the interior of the housing into a raw water space and a distilled water space. A boiler is disposed within the raw water space in order to vaporize the water and a compact radiator and fan assembly is mounted on top of the housing in order to condense the vapor into distilled water for delivery to the distilled water space within the housing. A heater-thermostat shut-off means is also provided for turning off the heater when the supply of water is too low.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 593,379 filed July 7, 1975,now U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,267.

This invention relates to a water distiller. More particularly, thisinvention relates to a portable water distiller.

As is known, in many communities, water used for drinking purposes hasan unpleasant taste due to chlorine or minerals or suspended vegetablematter. Such water may also contain chemicals, bacteria or virusesbelieved to endanger health. Because distilled water has an agreeabletaste and is free of dangerous substances, many householders perferdistilled water to tap or well water. However, distilled water which issold through retail outlets is generally expensive.

It is also known that various types of devices are available to use inthe home for distilling water. Unlike distillers used for scientificpurposes, these home devices are not usually connected permanently tothe water supply nor is tap water used for cooling steam. Rather, a potis usually filled with water, the water turned to steam by a heater, thesteam condensed by some form of air cooling, usually aided by a fan, andthe distilled water is then dripped into a storage vessel. Anarrangement is also usually provided for turning off the heater when thepot is almost empty. After the brine remaining in the pot has beenpoured off, the cycle may be repeated.

One very desirable quality of home distillers is compactness. The reasonfor this is that counterspace in most kitchens, particularly those inapartments, is limited. Cost is also related to size. A good measure ofthe compactness of a pot-type distiller is the ratio of the volume ofthe distiller and the storage vessel to the volume of the waterdistilled per cycle. Generally most distillers now available for homeuse are not very compact since they have ratios of the order of 7 to 10.

Another desireable quality for distillers is economical operation. Anideal (simple) distiller would make one gallon of water for every 2.6kilowatt hours of electric power. However, the equipment now in userequires as much as 41/2 kilowatt hours per gallon. In addition, anotherdesireable quality for a distiller is low cost. The presently availabledistillers, however, are generally expensive and fall in the range ofabout $150 to $400 per unit. Such a price usually places the hygenicbenefits of distilled water out of the reach of all but a fewhouseholds.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a compact waterdistiller.

It is another object of the invention to provide a water distiller whichconsumes relatively little power for each gallon of water distilled.

It is another object of the invention to provide a water distiller ofrelatively inexpensive construction.

It is another object of the invention to provide a water distiller whichcan be easily handled in a compact area.

Briefly, the invention provides a water distiller comprising a housing,a heater and a cap. The housing is sized to define a raw water storagespace and has a suitable inlet for the introduction of raw water as wellas a suitable outlet for removing brine or unused water. The heater isdisposed in the housing for vaporizing the water in the raw waterstorage space. The cap which is removably mounted on the housing has aradiator therein as well as a fan. The radiator is connected incommunication with the raw storage space in order to receive a flow ofvapor therefrom while the fan serves to blow air over the radiator tocool the radiator and thus condense the vapor therein to water. The capalso has an outlet connected to the radiator for dispensing thedistilled water therefrom.

The distiller may also be constructed without a fan-radiator assembly.In this case, the distiller is made with a housing, a member which isremovably mounted on the housing at the upper end and a boiler capassembly mounted on this latter member. The member is of annular shape,such as a collar, to fit around the top of the housing and includes atubular wall which depends into the housing in spaced relation in orderto define a first space therebetween. The annular member also mounts aflexible impermeable bag which depends into the housing within thetubular wall. The bag serves to define a second space between the bagand wall as well as a third space in the bag. A spout is also formed onthe annular member to communicate with the space between the tubularwall and the bag. The boiler cap assembly includes a boiler whichdepends into the bag to define a boiler space and includes a port whichcommunicates this space with the space within the bag. The assembly alsohas a heater within the boiler to vaporize the water within the boilerspace as well as a means which communicates the boiler space with thespace between the tubular wall and housing in order to deliver the vaporthereinto for condensing purposes.

The cap which includes the fan and radiator is made as a compact unitand is made to be easily removable from the top of the housing of thedistiller. Such a cap is of lightweight construction, for example thetotal weight of the fan-radiator cap is about two pounds. In this way,the cap is light enough to be easily handled and manipulated.

The heater is disposed inside the distiller within a confined area. Thisconfined area may be defined by a boiler in the form of a tube whichencircles the heater or in the form of a bubble catcher means whichserves to guide the bubbles of vapor from the heater upwardly throughthe water in the raw water space to the radiator. The bubble catchermeans is generally in the form of a tube open at the bottom end. Bothbubble catcher and boiler may be thermally insulated and fastened withinthe housing in a fixed position. They may also be detachably mounted tobe readily removed for cleaning out of scale without danger of wettingthe fan-radiator cap which has an electric motor which should remaindry.

In the embodiments where a flexible and water impermeable partition isused, the partition is generally made of a limber fabric coated withthin layer of plastic. The simple partition is a bag. The raw waterspace may be the inside of the bag. In this case, when in use, raw wateris poured into the bag to fill the bag and, in turn to cause the bag tofill the housing. During operation of the distiller, distilled waterproduced drips back via the heater and radiator into the housing on theoutside of the bag. The bag then slowly collapses so that, eventually,the housing is filled almost completely with distilled water and the bagis snug up against the boiler located within the bag. This feature savesspace since the need for a separate storage vessel is eliminated.

The heater-thermostat shut-off means which is used to turn-off theheater when the supply of raw water is too low may be of any suitableconstruction. This means generally includes a small auxiliary heater andan adjacent thermostatic switch. So long as heat is conducted away fromthe auxiliary heater by the water in the distiller, the temperature ofthe thermostat stays low enough so that the switch remains closed andpower is supplied to the heater heating the water. However, when thewater level falls below the auxiliary heater, the temperature of thisheater rises and, therefore, the temperature of the thermostat. This, inturn, causes the thermostat to actuate a switch to shut off the powerflow to the main heater. A small light may be connected in parallel withthe thermostat to provide a physical indication that distillation iscomplete. Such heaters with built in thermostats are widely used forcontrolling the temperature of water in part because of their ability toshut themselves off when the water level gets too low.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become moreapparent from the following detailed description and appended claimstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a portable water distilleraccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the water distiller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a view taken on line III--III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a view taken on line IV--IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates a view taken on line V--V of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view of a modified water distilleraccording to the invention utilizing a flexible impermeable partition;

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the water distiller of FIG.6;

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a further modified waterdistiller according to the invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the distiller of FIG. 8;and

FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a further modified waterdistiller according to the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the water distiller 10 is constructed of a housing11 and a cap 12 which is removably mounted on the housing 11. Thehousing 11 is of cylindrical hollow construction and is provided withsuitable support legs 13 at the base to support the distiller 10, forexample on a countertop 14. The housing 11 has an open top as indicatedin FIG. 3. A spigot 15 is mounted at the lower end of the housing 11 topermit emptying of the contents of the housing 11. This spigot isconstructed in any suitable fashion for this purpose.

Referring to FIG. 3, an electric heater 16 is disposed at the bottom ofthe housing 11 and is electrically connected by suitable leads 17 toterminal block 18 which, in turn, has an electric cord 19 which may beplugged into any suitable power source outlet. In addition, athermostat-heater shut-off means is mounted on the exterior of thehousing 11. This means 21 includes a thermostat 20 which is mounted toreact to the heat generated by an auxiliary heater 21 so as to shut-offthe main heater 16 in response to the auxiliary heater 21 generating apredetermined level of heat. In addition, an indicator light 22 isconnected in parallel with the thermostat 20 to the power source so asto provide a visible indication of the shut-off condition. The auxiliaryheater 21 is generally cooled by the contents of the housing 11 if thewater level within the housing 11 is above the auxiliary heater 21.Thus, the heat generated by the auxiliary heater 21 is conducted away sothat the temperature of thermostat 20 remsins low. However, should thewater level in the housing 11 drop below the level of the auxiliaryheater 21, the heater 21 will be insufficiently cooled. Thus thethermostat 21 would respond to deactivate the main heater 16.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the cap 12 is made as a unit and includes abase 23 which functions as a cover to sit on top of the housing 11. Thecap 12 also includes an electric fan 25 which is mounted on the interiorand which has a motor connected electrically to the power block 18 bysuitable lines 26. The upper end of the cap 12 is in the form of agrille provided with openings or perforations 27 to permit the inflowand outflow of air to the fan 25. In addition, the cap 12 includes aradiator 28 which is formed of one or more closed tubes which encirclethe fan 25. As shown in FIG. 4, the radiator 28 is formed of a singleflat closed tube which is of almost circular shape. The tube 28 and fan25 are concentric to each other and a deflector 29 is mounted below thefan 25 within the cap 12 so as to deflect a flow of air from the fan 25downwardly around the base of the radiator 28 and upwardly along theoutside surfaces of the radiator 28. The flow of cooling air along thesurfaces of the radiator 28 serves to cool the interior of the radiator28. In addition, suitable fins are mounted in the cap 12 for dissipatingheat generated within the radiator 28. For example, a fin 30 about 21/4inches high and 51/2 inches in diameter is mounted on the radiator 28using ten or so pieces 31 of copper bar which act as spacers and heatconductors. This fin 30 increases the surface area and hence the coolingpower of the radiator 28. Alternatively, a standard fin arrangement canbe used in which a multiplicity of fins are attached to the outersurface of the radiator 28. The fin may also be replaced by a secondtube of slightly larger diameter through which half of the steam ispassed.

Referring to FIG. 3, the cap also has a bubble catcher means 32 mountedtherein. As shown, this means is in the form of a thermally insulatedtube 33 which is mounted within a suitable port 34 in the cover 23, asby threading or a press fit, coaxially of the housing. This tube 33depends into the housing 11 about the main heater 16 almost to thebottom of the housing 11 leaving only a small gap between the tube 33and the bottom for water to enter.

A port 34 is formed in the cover to communicate with the interior of thetube 33 and a similar port 35 is formed in one end of the radiator 28. Aconduit 36 connects the two ports 34, 35 together so as to communicatethe interior of the tube 33 with the interior of the radiator 28.

As shown in FIG. 3, an outlet pipe 37 is disposed in the cap 12 with aninlet opening 38 below an outlet port 39 in the end of the radiator 28.

In operation, water is initially placed in the housing 11 and thereafterthe cap 12 is put in place. Next, with the distiller 10 plugged in forexample via a suitable switch (not shown) the main heater 16 vaporizesthe water within the immediate area and bubbles or vapor are formedwhich rise upwardly through in the bubble catcher tube 33. The resultantvapor or steam is then passed through the conduit 36 into the initialend of the radiator 28. The steam then fills the radiator 28 and duringthis time, the fan 25 is turned on so that a flow of air is passed aboutthe radiator 28. This flow of air serves to cool the interior of theradiator 28 so that the steam condenses on the interior walls of theradiator 28. The condensed steam in the form of distilled water thenflows along the bottom of the radiator 28 until reaching the outlet 39and drips into the outlet pipe 37. The water then flows out of the pipe37 into a suitable storage vessel (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 3, the inlet port 35 to the radiator 28 is disposed ata higher plane than the floor of the radiator 28 so that water will notbackflow into the housing 11.

Referring to FIG. 4, the radiator 28 is provided with a pinhole 40 orthe like coaxially above the outlet for the distilled water. Thispinhole 40 serves to increase the efficiency of the distiller 10.

Should the water level in the housing 11 fall below the level of theauxiliary heater 21 (FIG. 3) the thermostat 20 will be actuated asdescribed above. This, in turn, will deactivate the main heater 16 aswell as the fan 25. Alternatively, the fan 25 may be connected via adelay switch so that the fan 25 continues operation for a short periodof time after cut-off of the main heater.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, wherein like reference characters have beenused to indicate like parts as above, the water distiller 41 may also bemade to retain the distilled water therein. To this end, a cap assembly42 is mounted on a self-supporting housing 11. This cap assembly 42includes a cover 43 which has an inlet 44 for introducing water into thehousing 11 and a recess 45 into which a radiator-fan cap 12 fits. Thecover 43 has a flexible impermeable partition in the form of a bag 46secured to the cover 43 to depend into the housing 11. In addition, aheater 47 is mounted from the radiator-fan cap 12 in depending fashion.Also, a boiler 48 in the form of a tubular member is secured to the baseof the cap 12 about the heater 47 so as to form a confined space. Thisboiler 48 is provided with an inlet 49 to communicate the interior ofthe boiler 48 with the space within the bag. In this way, water isallowed to enter into the boiler 48 and achieve the same level as thewater within the bag 46. As above, a flexible conduit 36 communicatesthe interior of the boiler 48 with the inlet to the radiator 28.

Referring to FIG. 7, the heater 47 is mounted on the cover by means of adepending tongue 50. In addition, the tongue 50 carries an auxiliaryheater 21 and thermostat 20 for purposes similar to that describedabove. The boiler 48 is also secured to the cap 12 within a socket 51.To this end, the socket 51 and boiler 48 may be threaded to provide athreaded fit or the boiler 48 may be press-fit into the socket 51. Ineither case, the socket 51 is fixedly secured to the cap 12.

As shown in FIG. 7, an outlet tube or pipe 52 located under the radiatoroutlet communicates directly through the cover 43 into the interior ofthe housing 11 outside of the bag 46.

As also shown, a suitable spigot valve 53 is secured at a lower end ofthe housing 11 to communicate with the interior of the housing 11. Afold-down tube 54 is hingedly mounted on the spigot valve 53 to beselectively communicated with the interior of the housing 11. In use,when the tube 54 is moved into a horizontal position, the spigot valve53 is opened so that distilled water within the housing 11 can bedispensed.

Both the fan 25 and the heater 47 are connected via suitable electricallines 19 to a power source (not shown) so as to be operated individuallyfrom each other via suitable switches or in common via a single switch.

In operation, with the distiller turned on, raw water within the boiler48 is heated by the main heater 47 and vaporizes. The vaporized waterthen passes to the conduit and into the radiator. After condensing, thewater drips through the outlet tube 52 into the interior of the housing11 outside of the bag 46.

Initially, when the distiller 41 is filled with water, the bag 46occupies substantially all of the space within the housing 11. However,during distillation, the distilled water fills the space between the bag46 and the housing 11. Because the bag is flexible the water levelwithin this space remains the same as the water level within the bag 46.As a result, the bag 46 slowly collapses to a position about the boiler48 as the volume of distilled water builds up. As also shown in FIG. 7,the water levels in the various spaces defined by the housing, bag andboiler are the same.

Should insufficient water remain within the housing 11, the water levelwithin the boiler 48 drops below the auxiliary heater 21. This, in turn,causes a shut-down of the distiller in the manner described above.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cap assembly 42 can be mounted on the housing 11as a unit. Of course, the construction of the distiller is such that thecover 43 may remain in place on the housing 11. Thus, the variouscomponents may be individually removed for example for cleaningpurposes.

Referring to FIG. 7, the bag 46 may be secured to the cover in anysuitable manner and may be permanently fixed in place or mounted so asto be replaced over a course of time.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the water distiller may be constructedwithout a radiator-fan cap. To this end, the distiller 55 has a housing56 of cylindrical contour which is provided with a handle 57 so as to belifted and manipulated.

A member 58 of annular shape is mounted as a collar on the housing 56 atthe upper end in seal-tight relation. In addition, a gasket 59 iscarried by the member 58 for sealing against the upper rim of thehousing 56. The member 58 includes a tubular wall 60 which depends intothe housing 56 in spaced concentric relation to the inner wall of thehousing in order to define a space 61 therebetween. In addition, themember 58 carries a flexible and impermeable bag 62 which also dependsinto the housing within the tubular wall to define a space 63 betweenthe bag 62 and the tubular wall 60 as well as a space 64 within the bag62. the member 58 is also formed with a spout 65 which communicates withthe space 63 between the tubular wall 60 and the bag 62.

As shown in FIG. 8, the member 58 also includes an inlet 66 whichcommunicates with the space 64 within the bag 62 so that the bag 62 maybe filled with water. In a similar fashion, the brine spout (not shown)with a cap is also formed in the member 58 which communicates with theinterior of the boiler 68 so that spent water or brine may be pouredoff.

Referring to FIG. 9, a boiler cap ssembly 67 is mounted on the annularmember 58 and includes the boiler 68 which depends downwardly into thebag 62 to define an enclosed space 69. The boiler 68 is shown mounted onthe lower end of a tube 70. The boiler 68 includes a substantiallyinverted cup-shaped member integral with the depending tube 70 and aremovable cap 71 which is detachably connected by threading or pressfitting on the lower end of the boiler 68. This cap 71 includes an inlethole or port 72 which communicates the interior of the boiler 68 withthe bag interior. In this way, water within the bag 62 is able to flowinto the boiler space 69. A heater 73 is also mounted within the boilerin order to vaporize water within the boiler space 69. As above, theboiler 68 is also provided with a heater-thermostat shut-off means 20,21.

The main heater 73 is constructed of any suitable shape, for example asshown in the form of a coil.

The boiler cap assembly 67 also includes a means which communicate theboiler space 69 with the space 61 between the tubular wall 60 and thehousing 56 in order to deliver vapor thereto for condensing purposes. Asshown, this means includes an internal duct 74 which communicates thedepending tube 70 with the space 61 via an opening 75 in the member 58.This opening 75 may be oversized with respect to the duct 74 in order toallow some range of movement therebetween in order to communicate theduct 74 with the space 61. For example, the opening 75 may be anelongated slot as viewed from the top.

The boiler cap assembly 67 is mounted in seal-tight relation with theannular member 58 and to this end, a pair of annular gaskets 76, 77 aredisposed therebetween. As shown in FIG. 7, these annular gaskets 76, 77are disposed to either side of the duct 75.

A suitable electrical socket 78 is mounted within the boiler capassembly 67 which is adapted to receive an electrical plug 79 forsupplying power to the electric heater 73 and the heater-thermostatshut-off means 20, 21 within the boiler 68. In addition, an indicatorlight 80 is mounted on the top of the boiler cap assembly 67 to indicatewhen the distiller 55 has been shut-off by the thermostat 20. This light80 is connected in parallel with thermostatic switch 20.

The boiler 68 is generally constructed of stainless steel which isdouble walled with glass wool insulation. The housing 56 is likewisemade of stainless steel while the annular member 58 can be made ofplastic.

The diameter of the tube 60 is slightly less than the inside of thehousing 56 so as to leave a space of about 1/4 inch between the tube andthe housing. In addition, the tube extends downward to within an inch orso of the housing bottom.

In operation, water is poured into the inlet 66 to fill the bag 62.Thereafter, the power is turned on so that the heater 73 begins tovaporize the water which has entered into the boiler 68. Thereafter,bubbles of vapor are formed within the boiler 68 and pass upwardlythrough the tube 70. Next, the vapor passes through the duct 74downwardly into the space 61 between the depending tube 60 and thehousing 56. The heat of the vapor is conducted through the housing wallsand dispersed by radiation and by convection cooling. To enhanceradiation, the outside of the housing may be painted with a dark paint.In addition, the inner tubular wall 60 permits cooling of the vapor by aheat exchange relation with the water within the interior of the bag 62and the space 63 between the bag 62 and the tube 60. The condensed vaporthen falls to the bottom of the housing 56 and begins to fill thehousing 56 to both sides of the wall 60. Continued operation results inthe flexible bag 62 rumpling and contracting about the tube 70 andboiler 68 while the space between the bag 62 and housing 56 fills withdistilled water. In normal operation, the heater wattage is chosen sothat a pressure of about five to seven inches of water is present in theboiler 68. As a result, the water level in the boiler 68 and the space61 between the wall 60 and housing 56 is at about the top of the bulbouslower portion of the boiler 68, that is, about 5 to 7 inches below thelevel of the water in the distiller housing proper.

Eventually, the water within the bag 62 is exhausted and the waterwithin the boiler 58 starts to drop. The unit then turns itself off, forexample, about 24 hours after being turned on. The remaining brine maybe removed by tilting the distiller 55 sideways and to the right afterunscrewing the cap to the brine spout. This spout is connected by a tube(not shown) to the boiler tube 70.

In order to dispense the distilled water, the distiller is tiltedforward so that the distilled water flows out of the spout 65.

Referring to FIG. 10, where like reference characters indicate likeparts as above, the water distiller 81 is of generally a two componentstructure. One component 82 is formed of a housing 83 with a suitablebase. The housing 83 is of generally cylindrical construction with anopen top and is provided with a closure cap 84 which seats on the base83. This cover 84 carries an annular ring 85, for example of plasticwhich fixedly secures a flexible water impermeable bag 86 thereto independing fashion. For example, the bag 86 may be made of polyethylene.The ring 85 is secured to the cover 84 of the housing in any suitablefashion, for example by means of threaded bolts, rivets or screws. Inaddition, a Lucite tube 87 is mounted in fixed relation within the ring85 for example in a press fit manner.

The housing 83 receives a boiler 88 which passes through an opening inthe cover and telescopes into the Lucite tube 87 and which is of doublewalled glass construction and which has a lip 89 at the upper end so asto form an open mouth. As shown, the lip 89 extends over the cover 84 ofthe housing. The boiler 88 also includes glass wool 90 insulationbetween the glass walls. The boiler 88 is sized to extend downwardlyinto the housing 82 to seat on the bag 86 and the floor of the housing.The Lucite tube 87 serves to prevent sideways motion of the boiler 88within the housing 83.

The second component of the distiller is formed of a radiator-fanassembly 12. This assembly is constructed in a similar fashion to thatdescribed above in FIG. 7. In addition, the radiator-fan cap 12 has adepending skirt which fits snugly about the outer wall of the housing83. Also, a stopper 92 such as rubber is mounted on the bottom of thecap 12 in any suitable manner such as by means of adhesives or bolts.The stopper 92 is sized to sealingly engage in the open mouth of theboiler 88 and for this purpose is formed of any suitable material. Thestopper also has an elongated rod 93 depending therefrom which passesinto the boiler 88 to mount a heater 94 therein. This heater 94 iselectrically connected via suitable leads 95 to a terminal within thecap 12. Also, the stopper 92 has a duct 96 passing therethrough whichcommunicates via a suitable flexible conduit 36 or the like to theradiator 28.

Also, the outlet end of the radiator 28 is connected by a conduit orhose 97 through an opening 98 in the base of the cap 12 and an opening99 in the cover 84 so as to dispense distilled water into the housing 83in the space between the bag 86 and housing wall 83.

Referring to FIG. 10, the boiler 88 is provided with at least one smallopening 100 above the insulation 90 so as to communicate the interior ofthe boiler with the bag interior.

In operation, the radiator-fan cap 12 is removed from the housing properand water is introduced into the bag 86. This may be accomplished withthe boiler 88 removed or with the boiler 88 in place. In the lattercase, the water is introduced into the boiler 88 and when the waterlevel reaches the opening 100, the water will then flow into the bag 86until the bag 86 completely or substantially completely fills thehousing 83. Thereafter, the radiator-fan cap 12 is placed down over thehousing 83 with the stopper 92 sealingly closing the boiler 88.Thereafter, power is turned on and the heater 94 begins to vaporize thewater within the boiler. The vapor then passes through the duct 96 inthe stopper 92 and passes through the conduit 36 into the radiator 28.As above, the vapor within the radiator 28 is then condensed by the airflowing over the radiator 28 via the fan 25. The condensed vapor thenpasses out of the outlet end of the radiator 28 via the hose 98 into thehousing space between the bag 86 and the housing wall 83. Continuedoperation causes the space outside of the bag 86 to fill with water sothat the bag 86 collapses about the Lucite tube 87 and boiler 88.

The water distiller may also be provided with a suitableheater-thermostat shut-off means as above in order to shut-off thedistiller when the level of water within the boiler falls below acertain level.

It is to be noted that the water level within the boiler 88, the bag 86and the housing 83 is at the same level throughout operation.

The housing may be made of any suitable size, for example to contain onegallon of water. In addition, in order to provide for a lightweightconstruction, the housing may be made of a suitable plastic materialsuch as polypropylene.

The heater may be of any suitable type such as a Vycor heater capable ofproducing 250 watts.

The radiator-fan assembly may also be provided with a suitable airbaffle about the fan. Also, the air may flow directly downwardly on thefloor of the cap so that the floor causes the air flow to move upwardlyabout both sides of the radiator which may be made of copper.

In any of the above embodiments, the bubble catcher tube or boiler ispreferably a double walled aluminum or stainless steel tube withfiberglass insulation between the walls. However, a double walledplastic tube with foam plastic such as polyurethane insulation can beused or the boiler can be made of metal tubing such as aluminum orstainless steel without insulation.

Similarly, the radiator can be made with a single turn of a tube ofcopper which is tinned internally or of a suitable stainless steel. Inone case, the radiator has a rectangular inside cross section or abouttwo inches height and 1/4 inch width. The tube is also bent into analmost complete circle on a radius of about five inches. Steam is causedto enter the tube at a level of about 1/2 inch to one inch above thebottom while water exits through an outlet hole which is open at theatmosphere and located at the bottom at the opposite end of the tube.

The inner surface of the radiator encircles the fan and acts as aVenturi for the fan. The blades of the fan have an outer diameter ofabout four inches and rotate in a horizontal plane so as to draw intothe central portion of a grill and the surface of the fan-radiatorcover. The fan is fastened to the grill and is of any standardcommercial type, for example, The RuTron Co., "Muffin" fan consumingabout 15 watts of power and blowing about 100 cubic feet of air perminute (free flow).

The radiator can also be constructed using a plastic such as Teflonprovided the thickness of the plastic separating the air and vapor is,for example less than about 0.02 inches.

The invention thus provides a water distiller of compact construction.For example, the ratio of the volume of the distiller and the storagespace to the volume of water distilled per cycle is in the order of 21/2for the embodiment in FIG. 1 and 11/2 for those in FIGS. 7 and 9. Inaddition, the distiller provided by the invention consumes relativelylow power, for example 3 kilowatt hours for each gallon of waterdistilled. Also, the distiller can be manufactured at a relatively lowcost due to the simplicity of the parts involved.

Because the optimum design of a water distiller producing one gallon perday is not the same as that of one capable of producing two or threegallons per day, various embodiments have been described above. In thecase of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, such is capable ofsupplying a family of two to six persons, assuming a consumption ofabout 1/2 gallon per day per person. The embodiment illustrated in FIGS.6 and 7 is a more compact unit for a family of three to six persons andthe embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 may be used for a single person.

In the case of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 10, thefan-radiator cap is of relatively lightweight construction, for exampleabout two pounds with a diameter of about six inches and a height ofabout three inches. As such, the assembly does not radically increasethe volume of a gallon container which is about six inches in diameterand eight inches high. An important feature of this assembly is that thedistilled water outlet is high above a counter surface so that thedistilled water storage space and the distiller can rest on the samecounter.

The thermal insulation on the bubble catcher means or boiler ensuresthat most of the heat from the heater is used to turn water into steamor vapor rather than just leaking away through the housing sides.

The flexible impermeable bag which is utilized in the variousembodiments allows the same housing to be divided into a raw water spaceand a distilled water space. This saves space since the bag eliminatesthe need for a separate storage vessel for the distilled water.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable water distiller comprisingaself-supporting housing; a flexible impermeable partition mounted withinsaid housing to define a raw water space and a distilled water spacetherein; a cap mounted on said housing, said cap including an openingfor passage of raw water into said raw water space within said housing;a heater disposed in said housing for vaporizing the raw water in saidraw water space; and means for condensing the vaporized raw water andfor delivering the condensed water into said distilled water space.
 2. Awater distiller comprisinga self-supporting housing; a cap removablymounted on said housing; a flexible impermeable partition mounted withinsaid housing to define a raw water space and a distilled water spacetherein; a heater disposed in said housing for vaporizing the raw waterin said raw water space; and means for condensing the vaporized rawwater and for delivering the condensed water into said distilled waterspace, said means including a radiator in said cap in communication withsaid raw storage space to receive a flow of vapor therefrom, a fan forblowing air over said radiator to condense the vapor therein to waterand an outlet connected to said radiator for dispensing the watertherefrom to said distilled water space.
 3. A water distiller as setforth in claim 2 which further comprises a boiler in said raw waterspace having an upper end in communication with an inlet to saidradiator.
 4. A water distiller as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidoutlet communicates with said distilled water space.
 5. A waterdistiller as set forth in claim 4 which further comprises a boilerlocated in said raw water space, said boiler having an upper end incommunication with said radiator to deliver vapor thereto and a portcommunicating said raw water space with the interior of said boiler topermit entry of raw water into said boiler interior, and wherein saidheater is mounted in said interior of said boiler.
 6. A water distilleras set forth in claim 5 wherein said boiler is thermally insulated.
 7. Awater distiller as set forth in claim 4 which further comprises a spouton said housing in selective communication with said distilled waterspace for dispensing distilled water therefrom.
 8. A water distiller asset forth in claim 4 wherein said heater is supported from said cap anddepends into said raw water space.
 9. A water distiller as set forth inclaim 8 which further comprises a boiler mounted within said partitionin said housing and about said heater, said boiler having a portcommunicating said raw water space with the boiler interior to permitentry of raw water into said boiler interior.
 10. A water distiller asset forth in claim 9 which further comprises a thermostat-heatershut-off means supported from said cap and depending into said raw waterspace.
 11. A water distiller as set forth in claim 9 wherein said boilerhas a mouth at an upper end and which further comprises a stoppermounted on an underside of said cap for closing said mouth, said heaterbeing mounted in said stopper.
 12. A water distiller as set forth inclaim 11 which further comprises a conduit mounted in said stopper andcommunicating said boiler interior with said radiator.
 13. A waterdistiller as set forth in claim 9 which further comprises a fixed guidewithin said housing for maintaining said boiler in place.